Alberta Premier Danielle Smith said while NDP leader Naheed Nenshi might not care about property or firearm rights, she does. Although Nenshi has denounced amending the Alberta Bill of Rights, Smith predicted Albertans care about property and firearm rights. “We want to make sure people have the ability to make their own choices about their healthcare, and I think we’ll see there are a lot of people that are happy with the changes,” said Smith at a Saturday press scrum. Smith started off by saying amending the Alberta Bill of Rights is about making a commitment and keeping it. Since the 1990s, she has been a property rights advocate. One of the issues she said the Alberta Bill of Rights has always had is there is not a particular provision for just compensation or firearm protections, so she is correcting that. She committed to Alberta United Conservative Party members she would do what she could to implement the policies suggested from the Public Health Emergencies Governance Review Panel. Smith called for people to judge her proposal from that perspective. When she makes a commitment, she said she keeps it. Nenshi said on Tuesday Smith’s comments about her proposed amendments to the Alberta Bill of Rights are “nothing but desperate virtue signalling over issues that she thinks will help her leadership review.”.Nenshi says Smith’s amended Alberta Bill of Rights pandering to her base .While she wants to amend the Alberta Bill of Rights, Nenshi said Canadians’ human rights are protected by the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms and provincial bills do not override this. “The Premier’s constant playing to her base isn’t just irritating; it has real consequences,” he said..Smith followed up by saying she hopes the amendments make people realize governments should not overreach. “It’s government’s job to make sure that they make decisions through the lens of what’s best for individuals,” she said. “And I think government fell short of that in the last COVID response, and it’s fallen short of that in protecting property rights and firearms owners’ rights.” While the Alberta government has fallen short before, she said it will correct that. Smith said on Tuesday the Alberta government will be introducing legislation to amend and strengthen the Alberta Bill of Rights in a few weeks..WATCH: Smith confirms amended Alberta Bill of Rights to protect medical freedoms, gun and property rights .With the current Alberta Bill of Rights, she pointed out it serves like a constitutional document, ensuring all government laws and policies align with the listed rights and freedoms. “Now the Bill of Rights has served its purpose well over the years, but as our society evolves, so too must our laws to ensure our rights and freedoms remain properly protected in an everchanging world,” she said.
